Our View: Resources available for those caught in health care gap

Thousands of women in Louisiana now fall within a health care coverage gap with poverty-level incomes but still too rich to qualify for Medicaid.

In Louisiana, approximately 138,000 women find themselves left in the coverage gap, and the long-term impact of that will likely result in costlier health care problems down the road as these women fail to obtain routine preventive care and checkups.

Access remains available in northeastern Louisiana through University Health Conway and some other community resources. But the challenge is getting the word out to those who need it most.

University Health Conway's Jo Thompson said Conway has helped uninsured and underinsured women for decades and that service doesn't change even with the privatization of the state's charity hospitals.

"Anybody can come to University Health Conway where we have programs funded by grants that help us provide low-cost or no-cost health care to people who desperately need it," Thompson said.

She hopes women will not put off health care needs for financial reasons because there are numerous resources in the community to help them.

"If we can diagnose any kind of illness early, we can get you intervention earlier and treat you earlier. We have seen women put off getting health care and we ultimately pay the price for that," Thompson said.

Cathy Hernandez, interim CEO of University Health Conway, believes there will be women who won't access care because they believe they cannot afford it.

"If a woman gets a breast mass and she's afraid to have an exam because there's a surgery and she's required to make a $5,000 upfront payment, she's not going to do that. All of a sudden her illness progresses maybe to a point of no return. Or, secondly, it gets so progressive it's burdensome on the health care system because she can't pay it, but someone has to take care of them. That's what Conway is here for," Hernandez said.

Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute executive director James Adams expects the coverage gap to grow and the Louisiana Cancer Foundation may be called upon to provide more resources.

The institute and foundation provides several free annual cancer screenings to people who qualify. Recently, more than 300 women received routine screenings and free mammograms.

It's important to spread the word that resources are available locally for those who remain uninsured or have insurance they can't afford to use.

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Our View: Resources available for those caught in health care gap

Thousands of women in Louisiana now fall within a health care coverage gap with poverty-level incomes but still too rich to qualify for Medicaid.